Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-01-21
3 SILVER IN. HIS THROAT.
A Boy Coughs Up a Half-Dollar Three
Months After He Partly swallowed
It-Tlree Physicians Puzzled.

A Boy Coughs Up Half-Dollar Three
Months After He Partly Swallowed
It-Three Physicians Puzzled.
1.4,.--<,,,---laa4 a.
Brewer Peter Dodgers 12-year-old
son Joseph from strangulation by
bone collar-button which he carried in
his mouth while romping with school
mates said well-known physician,
,recalls singular case that came with
in my experience several years ago.
It. happened in Peacedale. pretty
Rhode Island village just across the
bay from, Narragansett Pier: Willie
Booth, 9. years sold,awas sent by his
mother to neighboring grocery. She
gave him, a silver halfzdollar for some
small purchases, and. to. prevent the
little fellows losing it, Mrs. Booth
tied the money in q corner OF his hand
kerchief Willie ran down the road
swinging the handkerchief in his light
hand and shouting. A few rods from
the house he stumbled and almost fell.
He had been shouting at his loudest
moment before As he lunged for
ward he threw out his right hand to
save himself. At tie same instant the
half-dollar, which Mrs. Booth had evil
IDENTIFY tied loosely, dipped out OF the
handkerchief and into Wllic's mouth
He regained his equilibrium, but came
near choking to death. "~'
'.He coughed until he grew dizzy and
staggered like drunken person. but
he could not eject the silver piece
Somehow he made his way back home
and tottered into the house. Mrs. Booth
peered into his throat, but could not
see the alf.dollar. She pounded on
the little fellows back in the way Gus
tomary with choking persons Willie
breathed more freely. but the half
dollar did not come, Then Mrs. Booth
ran for the village doctor. When they
reached the house few minutes later,
Willie felt much better. The strangling
sensation was gone and he breathed as
usual, with the exception that there
seemed, he said, to be big lump just
above his collar bone, The doctor made
careful examination of the boys
throat. He IA led to find the com, and
concluded it had passed into the stom.
ach: Willie very stontly declared that
he could still feel it in his throat. This,
however, the doctor attributed to the
little fellows Imagination. He there
fore administered a strong phys:c and
departed. He called every day for a
week. but nothing was seen of the coin,
which Willie repeatedly protested was
not in his stomach, but in his throat
where he could feel it.
"a few days afterward the doctor
CHANGED to be at Narragansett Pier,
where was stopping. We met, and
after describing the case he asked he
to visit Peacedale and assist in \ second
| examination of the boy: s throat | did
So. and together We probed carefully
and thorough ly for the half-dollar.
We could not find trace Of it. At the
point just above the esophagus, where
Willie continued to insist that he
could plainly feel the coin. there was
| not the slightest lump or swelling. |
dollar was in the boys stomach. After
| discussing the case, however, we called
in widely-known Providence surgeon
also infinitely examined the boys
throat. He Endorsed our opinion that
Willie had swallowed the silver piece
Stronger physics were now administer
ed, and the next day we tried violent
emetic. Both expedients failed. 1t
was manifest that the coin could be re-
moved only by an extremely difficult
and dangerous surgical operation. Nc
| argument could induce the family to
consent to this.
THAT the boy would die of slow cor
cosive poisoning seemed inevitable. In
| fact he began to waste perceptibly
| within a fortnight. remained at the
Pier SIX weeks. and was so interested in
the case that l drove over to see little
| Willie every few days At the end of
Il month he was thin, weak, and color
less. When I started back to New
| York he was simply a shadow. My
friend the Peacedale doctor, wrote me
several times about the case. Each
letter said little Willie was thinner and
weaker. 1t was now the middle of No.
vember. fully twelve weeks since the
! boy swallowed the half-doll;ir. and l
| was surprised that he had lived so
long.
The following week l was still
more surprised by a letter saying the
coin had been recovered. The way it
originally flew into the boys mouth
had been remarkable enough, but the
manner of its reappearance was almost
Incredible The bow had actually
coughed up the half dollar. Owing to
his sickly condition the family had
shown him every indulgence, Among
other things as the days grew colder he
was allowed to wash every morning in
a basin placed on chair near the
kitchen stove. While washing thus
one morning violent fit of coughing
seized ham. and during it the half dol
lar flew from his mouth into the basin.
The silver piece was as black as the
stove lid. Impossible as it may. seem
the large coin had been lodged for
three months in the little fellows
throat, and SO peculiarly placed that
the most skiIlful search could not re-
veal it's presence. 1t is not strange.
therefore. that young Doelger's s. death
was at first attributed to heart disease,
and an autopsy was required to dis
close the fact that he had been stran-
gled by q collar button. Poor little
Willie. however, was more fortunate
than the rich brewers son, He fully
recovered in q few months, and when l
last saw him, two years ago, was a
strong and healthy lad.-New York
Sun.
The Law on Kissing.